When Trouble is Near, God is Nearer

This morning I was reading through Psalm 22 and verse 11 caught my attention - it reads, "Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help."  What a common, heartfelt cry.  So often when we are experiencing trouble, its as if we can see nothing else.  We are overwhelmed, feeling separated and without help.

Continuing on to verse 24, David continues, "For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help."  Not only has God not turned His back, He is actively looking at the person afflicted by trouble and listening to their cry. 

In Isaiah 57:15 He says, "“I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."   Not only does he see and hear us in our trouble, He lives with us!  And to quote Jesus in the Gospel of John 14:17 speaking of the Holy Spirit says, "...the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you."

You can't get any closer than in you!  Lord, help me to remember that when I am in a place of trouble, feeling overwhelmed and apart from you, you are more than near, you are in me!